DETH: Ed Hardy Tattoos Jack Preston (Patreon)

Most of us wouldn't have the tattoos we have were in not for Ed Hardy. 

That's a pretty wide ranging statement, but one that I could, in time, with the aid of a large whiteboard, some pushpins and red string, and your undivided attention, prove wholly correct. 

I could pull out copies of Tattoo Time (which you should own anyway) or anecdotes from tattooers who influenced the modern tattoo scene that trace back to Ed and his lifelong obsession with tattooing, his cheerleading of classic styles and emerging ones, but at the end of the day, most of us wouldn't have the tattoos we have were it not for Ed Hardy. 

(if you've ever attended one of my lectures, you've heard a much longer version of this tirade. Sorry about that.) 

This photo dates back to the early 1980s, and features Ed tattooing a gentleman named Jack Preston, then the lover of Dr. John Lemmes (who wore the full body phallic squid tattoo, done by Ed, that was featured on the cover of THE TATTOOISTS). That solid, Japanese inspired tattooing helped make Ed famous. 

This photo has previously appeared on our sister site Occult Vibrations.